He Was
He was supposed to celebrate his 97th birthday in 54 days.
He fell asleep and never woke up.
He never lost his sense of humor. He was always stubborn. He had a golden heart, one of the kindest men ever known, never asked for money, gave everything he ever could. His jobs were perfectly made. He worked from early childhood, 'till the age of 88. He helped whenever he could, and tried also when he obviously couldn't. He offered help, all the time, denied money offers. He never missed a chance to argue. He never wanted help, "I can do it myself"... He never even wore glasses. He was the strongest-minded atheist; he would argue every religious person he saw on the street, trying madly to convince everyone there is no one up there listening to anything. We thought we lost him many times, but as an ox he would recover from every disaster. He was a master of games, lucid-minded 'till the last day. He couldn't lose a game, he'd always insist for another. Every meal served "was the best meal ever", so he used to say. He hadn't left us money, but wonderful memories, and great hands and mind… He lived on the money of his loving family, for all those years he did so much for us, and refused every penny. Everybody loved him. He had a mind of his own.
What matters it all now?
If he only knew they said this religious pray for his soul, "O, you fools! Do you think somebody's listening?!" he would say. These religious enforced laws, if he only knew…
Dad said to me, "If there was anything like heaven and hell…….. Oh how he would have argued them, they would send him to heaven just so he'd leave them alone, they just wouldn't make it arguing with him".
Once my grandfather and him, my great grandfather, flied to visit the family in South-Africa. My grandpa didn't want to sit next to his father; he expected an argument and avoided it. My great grandpa coincidently, sat next to a religious person. After an hour the man stood up shouting "I CAN'T SIT HERE ANYMORE!" heh, I think he managed to convince him God wasn't there…
I never had the time to speak to him of this, never had the time to learn how to play Klabias (a South-African / Dutch cards game) with more than two people, so many things he haven't yet done, but he have seen all the changes of a hundred years, from nothing to this technology.
I cried so hard when they just put him in the ground, like a piece of junk you want no one to see you put there, to rot like a meaningless object- yet knowing there is nothing I can do, or say about it.
There went 97 years of wisdom and a wonderful unique world of beautiful thoughts to the grave, to a vain nothingness, to banish from the world forever.
…and now I start digesting, I will never see him again.
If he only knew how much I love who he was… As if anything matters now.
Last time I saw him, I had a feeling it might be the last time, but I had this hope, that as always, he will be back. He told me "Don't look sad, you are young, and I am old".
He just didn't recover this time.
-Infernity
בבלוג זה
בכל הבלוגים
כינוי:
